I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. There is currently a by-law under review which will result in rate payers not being allow to walk there dogs or ride bicycles in city parks. I am not sure where we are supposed to walk our dogs. There are rumours that we may not be allowed to walk our dogs in the streets.

Mahatma Gandhi said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways it's animals are treated." I am shocked at what my country is intending to impose on us and our dogs.

If any one would like to support us in our effort to have this law stopped, please mail puritym@joburg.org.za. She is the point of contact for us with the Johannesburg City Council. It may jog them a bit if they get feedback from international sources.

Thank you

Nadine, this is not exclusive to So. Af. Many public parks in the USA do not allow dogs. Sometimes this can be petitioned, usually not. This is becoming more and more in metropolitan areas. I suspect this is why we are seeing "Dog parks?"

Lots of parks here in SoCal don't allow dogs. Why would I care, frankly? I don't miss the experience of having my dogs harassed by other people's unvaccinated, out of control, off lead psycho dogs.

Find a good working, sport, obed or some type of club that meets on private property for social time and exercise.

Thank you for that info, it made me realise that we have a different situation here. We do have a lot of space. If I go to the park here in SA there may only be one other person and dog. Often no one! We do not overcrowd parks. We do not impose on people. I just dont see the point of not letting us walk our dogs. Thanks again, we are still going to fight this all the way.

Nadine,

Honestly, IMO a large part of the problem is simply that too many dog owners didn't scoop and folks got tired of having their toddlers tromping around in dog droppings <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

And too many irresponsible folks who don't think leash laws are applicable to them ruined it for responsible owners like you. It is unfortunate.

The park near my house where I jog with my dog is full of cutsey wootsy pet owners who don't think the leash laws apply to them.

Just the other night some moron had 2 golden retrievers off leash and I didn't see them until they ran up to my dog and I on the jogging trail. One had hackles up and teeth bared, it pissed me off. I kicked at the dog, but didn't really land a solid kick, just brushing the dog away. I didn't have my pepper spray with me like Ed suggests in his article but if I did I probably would have used it.

The owner came running over and couldn't believe I would do something so mean to such a "sweet doggie". My dog and I started jogging again and the idiot still didn't put his dogs on leash.

There are lots of small yip yap dogs running around sometimes too. Leash laws don't get obeyed at the parks much around here and that could be one of the reasons dogs aren't allowed at some of the parks in So. California too. People seem to be pretty good about picking up dog poop here but if your dog is off leash doing who knows what, how do you really know if it took a dump in the kid's sand box or not? Thats the problem, when at a park, keep the dog on lead.

I live behind a 6 acre soccer park that is very busy from the end of May to September. I have a gate into the park and use it frequently. The main problem I see in dogs being banned from park use is the poop problem. Many people do not pick up poop, in fact I have frequently picked up some dog's poop that is just 2 ft. from my gate. That is really annoying. Several of my neighbours and I have intensively landscaped beyond our yards with the city's OK and people still let their dogs run through our gardens and poop at will. Not to mention the dogs that are free to come up to my fence and harass my dog, with their owners standing by. These are people that live in the neighbourhood. Sure, not everyone is like that. But, I have also seen someone drive into one of the parking lots, open their van door, let their dogs out, sit in the van for 20 min., then leave.
As many know I am in favour of responsibly free running your dog in city parks, without the nuisance of having to go to a dog park. Not everyone is a responsible dog owner however, and I have in the past written a letter to the editor of our local paper bemoaning that fact.
A good thing you can do is take your dog to a park and do some obedience work with him, in full view of other people, neighbours, cars driving by, so that John Q. Public can see that some owners really work with their dogs. I do it. I've seen others do it.
Unfortunately, our SPCA and others are currently lobbying the city to create more dog parks. Which, in the long run, will not really solve the problem, merely confine it to certain areas of the city. But maybe that's an easy answer for them if sports associations are putting the squeeze on. I know the local soccer association has a lot of $$$ invested in the park and the parents pay a lot to have their kids play. It would tick me off too.
Maybe it's time to write write another letter to the editor and help get the dog enthusiasts openly debating some ideas so that others (non dog owners) can get a sense of the issues surrounding dog parks.

In my city, it is possible to get a permit that allows you to work your dog off leash in city parks. The purpose is for people who do advanced off leash obedience, retrieving, etc., to be able to practice without getting ticketed. Of course, the dog is expected to be under voice control.

I only know one person who has one, an acquaintance with a pet dog, and she uses hers so that she can let her dog run off leash legally (and he's not really under voice control). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I guess my point is that even if allowances are made for responsible dog owners, the irresponsible ones will always find a way to exploit it.